Capturing the Season: Creating Textures With Gel Medium

        Unlike the white, snow-covered Christmas' we usually experience in the Midwest, the warm weather greened the landscape this holiday season. Looking for inspiration to create a new page, I surveyed my patio area for ideas. The grass suspended in a confused state between fall and winter strewed itself with haphazard patches in muted foliage shades around my house. Surveying the perennials, I noticed sedum sprouts cautiously poked their heads up infusing golds and turquoises here and there in the narrow path they cut. Swirled in the corner, I saw a treasure of preserved leaves in a brown and red heap. The sun was out bathing everything in golden hues.

        As I stood reflecting on the panorama, the Holy Spirit whispered change will come in His due season. The Lord's words brought it all together for me in the beginnings of this page to signify the coming of a new year. I wanted to capture the gold, green, red, and brown hues of a season in transition positioned for change according to His perfect timing.



Creating a Textured Background with Gel Medium and Gesso

 

        My goal with this page background was to create a natural look with areas of translucency and room for adaptation to the main figure. I used materials from the yard and stayed within gold, green, and red color schemes.  

 

        1. Prep the page. I generously covered the page with DIY gesso using my pallet knife to spread it and make ridge marks. While the gesso still was wet, I covered it with scrunched white tissue paper. When the page felt dry, I spread Golden soft gel medium over it and then dried leaves and bits of torn fabric. I ladled another layer of gesso to add more texture and tone it down a bit. I sealed it with a thin layer of soft gel medium so it wouldn't absorb the color in the next step.

 

 

        2. Color the page. I dabbed soy paint (curry, then butternut squash) mixed with Golden acrylic glazing around the page. Then, wiped it off to my liking with a moist baby wipe. For highlights, I gave it a touch of Golden quinacridone nickel azo gold and blended it with the same wipe.

 



        3. Partition page space. I plan to lean the central figure against a wall on the left side of the page. Since I wanted something with an abstract feel, I decided to use ink and gelli printing. I dribbled brown Bombay ink vertically down the side of the page and tilted the page horizontally to give it a blotchy feel. Then, I squirted Liquitex heavy body medium magenta, vivid red orange, and cadmium red light hue to a 3" x 5" gelli plate. I stamped it in various directions down the side of the page. It looked like an inkblot test!

 

        4. Add depth and more texture. Since this color was too stark for what I wanted, I sprayed diluted white gesso in my mister over letters. I lightly blotted the gesso. Then, I spread a think layer of gel matte medium over it. I carved designs into and pushed a stencil into it in a zigzag fashion.

 

 

        5. Highlight Depth and Texture. With the final step, I drizzled watercolor glazes (pyro crimson and perinone orange) down the page. I tilted the page in different directions to spread it. Since watercolor dries lighter than the applied color, I may darken it later. Also, I most likely will seal it so I don't lose the color.

        I'm quite pleased with my initial page support. As you develop your page, it conforms to different elements. This first phase captures the look I want of a future filled with God's hope.



Materials
Golden Soft Gel Matte Medium
DIY Gesso
Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors
Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid
Stencils

        Sometimes, the Lord expands meaning from a vision I've had at a later time. Such was the case with this one. Fast forward several months to April, and He clarified change comes with the Power of the Blood! Jesus' blood washes our sins away and we take on a new identity in Him. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor 5:17 KJV).